condemnation

American  

[kon-dem-nay-shuhn, -duhm-] / ˌkɒn dɛmˈneɪ ʃən, -dəm- /

noun

• condemnations
  plural

1. the act of condemning.

2. the state of being condemned.

3. strong censure; disapprobation; reproof.

4. a cause or reason for condemning.

5. U.S. Law. the seizure, as of property, for public use.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncondemnation
  noun
• recondemnation
  noun
• self-condemnation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• condemnations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of condemnation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English condempnacioun, from Middle French, from Late Latin condemnātiōn-, stem of condemnātiō; equivalent to condemn + -ation

Explanation

Condemnation is the act of declaring something awful or evil. If your little brother does something unspeakably awful, express your condemnation so he will learn not to do it again. Condemnation comes from the verb condemn, "to strongly disapprove." You might criticize something that you still think is worthwhile, but if you express condemnation, that’s laying a heavy moral blame. Condemnation is used in law, and means the same thing as sentencing; you might have heard a judge say “I condemn you to ten years of hard labor.” Also, a very dangerous building will be sealed up and deemed uninhabitable by an act of condemnation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

condemnation condemnations

Instead, Ankara and Islamabad offered little more than condemnation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

The photos triggered a wave of condemnation, then spread across many social media platforms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026

A series of high-profile attacks on Palestinians and their property this summer has prompted an international outcry and rare condemnation from Israel’s leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

The image of a 15-metre long small boat carrying a record 230 migrants towards the UK drew condemnation from both newspapers and politicians.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

Otis had praised Pollard in print since his initial condemnation of his ride in the Santa Anita Handicap, even suggesting that he may have been wrong in attributing the loss to the jockey.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Both men survived the attacks, which drew condemnations from the city's Jewish and Asian American leaders.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Such condemnations might reduce violence, but, in any case, they are the right thing to do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026

But the 70-year-old pontiff has been cautious in his statements since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that started the war on February 28, refraining from naming any party in his condemnations and appeals for peace.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

The genre’s marginal roots complicate blanket condemnations, since the same raunchy lyrics often encode critiques of class exclusion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025

These, of course, have wholly disappeared, and we are left to gather their doctrines from the condemnations passed upon them.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Henry Charles Lea

Related Words

• accusation
• censure
• denunciation
• disapproval
• judgment